


The Cost of Keeping Quiet

by SimplyShiori



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Heavy Angst, M/M, One-Sided Relationship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-01 22:49:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2790545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplyShiori/pseuds/SimplyShiori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagami Taiga is in love.....he just isn't sure who it is anymore.</p><p>Aomine Daiki doesn't like pain....so why is he bringing it onto himself?</p><p>What do you do when the only person you love is being taking away? What do you do when you dreams about them usually end in a nightmare? Can we really be <b>just</b> friends? Can we really handle all of this? Can I make it out alive?</p><p>(Follow the two basketball idiots on a journey full of lies and self-discovery.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Th Krwlng Tht Dstry Hm

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back! ^_^
> 
> For the most part anyways, I have my sister's computer and ipad to work on so I can finally start writing again. Just so you guys know, my phone broke and had to be replace by a temp that does not allow me to do all the things I need to do when it comes to writing (it sucks so much, not to mention I accidently broke that one new year's eve in a fit of rage -_-;).  
> Oh, and I was listening to Krwlng by Linkin Park when this chapter was made sooo if you want it, there you go.
> 
> But fear not! All is pretty well, so without further adieu here's Shiori's I'm-Back-in-Business piece (and it's chaptered, wish me luck d^_^b)

_Kagami?_

Dilated pupils, surrounded by swirls of scarlet and little copper-colored ringlets, stare at him, focused, such affirmed affection, he can feel it flowing, soft and deep, into his core.

_Is this real?_

Countered exhales mingle together in a belated fashion; these opposite uneven puffs of hot breath brush against his damp skin, making him warmer than before and somehow he is unaware of this, mind vividly preoccupied.

The man below him has this sated, satisfied, blissful, loving look that brightens his already sun-kissed skin. Unconsciously, the one above begins to smile because, quite honestly, this is all he's ever wanted. This prefect picture of their two bodies, hard and muscled through years of constant exertion and overwhelming circumstances, coming so unbelievable close and fitting like oddly shaped, rigid pieces of a puzzle that, against all odds, connect so flawlessly, molding  _together_  as if crafted and taken from the same slate.

_Is it really meant for me?_

Sweat drips from his navy locks. Just a drop. Minute and unimportant. It lands on the redhead's cheek.

Those same affection eyes morph into ones of bewilderment, careening though several other emotions,  _confusion, disbelief, regret, despair,_  before taking a sharp turn, crashing, a dead end. Horror.

Panic rises in his throat, piling on his tongue; he wants to shout out, " _What's the matter!? Kagami! What's wrong!?_ " but he can barely form a thought, lest a whole sentence.

The sensation of falling takes him. The pain of hitting the wooden floor of his room -  _their room_? - no,  **his**  room brings him back.

He lifts his head, eyes furious, but a lacerated squeak is all that resounds as a burning ache encompasses his heart. His eyes take in the look of the man he loves, that pointed accusing look teeming with loathing, filled with self-hatred, tinged with misery, battered by pain.

And then Kagami cries, chanting, "Anyone but you,  _anyone_  but you," over and over again.

A broken mantra.

To match his broken soul.

_"I hate you, Aomine!"_

 

 He jolts upwards, awake now, as the train lurches -  _shit_ , bad timing - and the world is spinning vertically.

When he really  _really_  comes to and is beginning to remember his surroundings, nightmare be damned, he squints from the fluorescent lights above and huffs in agitation as he finds himself laying on the train's floor.

So far gone and running on "E" for the last, what two, three weeks?, Aomine doesn't even try to get up. I know what you're thinking and yeah, you're right, knowing that floors of this kind aren't exactly the cleanest of places to lay but Aomine rather not put in the energy to pick himself up either so, floor it is. Sighing he turns his head to the side, mind going back to his nightmare and  _nope, nein, fuck that_. Aomine is off the ground so fast, faster than his opponents losing confidence back in his Teikou days, because no more than a meter away from where his face once was, is a  **fucking**  Palmetto bug.

It doesn't matter that it's dead a few moments later, smashed up little body bits on the floor and under his steel-toed work boots, Aomine still moves across the, thankfully empty, carrier and away from where he surmised the roach's family will soon be, looking for their (now dead) relative. "Fuck you," he mutters with a quick flick of his head as he glares at the spot.

If ever asked about his mental state nowadays, his answer would be that he doesn't care if he makes sense or not, barely anything makes sense anymore, not after working two jobs back to back for the past twenty-three days with (at  **max**!) four and a half hours of sleep in-between shifts. But August starts in a little less than two weeks and come the first of the month Aomine will be on vacation, paid vacation, from BOTH jobs for the entire time.

But that's roughly two weeks away and, as far as his body is concerned, it's too far from him to even think about without the dread of what he has to put up with until then coming to mind.

The train lurches again, he stays put this time, kind of (he leans hard and has to catch himself with his hands and the support railing), as the little announcer pans in its somewhat upbeat tone, "Arriving at Tsukishima, arriving at..." It continues with the whole watch the doors, be careful, thank you for riding Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line spill but Aomine stops listening because  _asdfghjkl ohmyfuckinggawd almost home_! and busy himself with grabbing his almost forgotten backpack off his previous seat.

He makes it off the train, with his bag, and doesn't run into another one of those dirty vermin; he inwardly hopes that all the family members are already dead.

 

The mid-July air lacks humidity, even while surrounded by water, so his nose itches. Shouldering his bag on one side, Aomine begins his twelve-minute trek home, passing his second job at a nearby Mcdonald's and, when coming closer to his little condo, he sees Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (where one or two of his acquaintances he refuses to call friends attend) in the distance and across the water way. He sneers in disgust for a moment knowing Sakurai (poor child) is there with their old basketball captain (that rude demon) but it falls quickly, he doesn't have the energy to keep his face in that kind of twist, instead his expression drops and he deadpans (which is just as bad as his normal off-putting Aomine-style "bitch" face) and makes his way into the building, keycard in hand.

The first thing he notices is that the elevator is out, again, for the third time this month. "Great," he mutters as his bitch face comes back with full force. Just what I needed, he continues in his head, a nine story stair climb, fuck me.

He inwardly complains about his troubles as long limbs barely lift his large feet over each step all the way up. Once home though, he drops his bag by the door, toes off his shoes while walking, and flops down on the large sectional couch in his living room.

No longer moving, Aomine becomes hyper-aware of the hum of his air conditioner (thank goodness that's still working), the inconsistent spasms of his over-worked muscles beneath his skin, and the smell of old coffee on his cushion. His minds begins to wonder.

How many times have he done this, come back to his decent-sized one-room condo and just crash? How long has he been working for Sugawara's Construction? How long as he been working at that McDonald's now....what is he going to do with his future, he's already twenty-one, almost twenty-two...where is he going?

Aomine, not one for deep thoughts, groans into the cushion and rolls himself over, what's the point of over-thinking things like this if you have no plans? "Whatever," he mutters to himself as he forces himself off of the couch, across the wood flooring and into the bathroom for a well-deserved shower. He doesn't even get the chance of turning on the water before he feels a disturbance in his pocket. He picks up the phone with a gruff, "Hello," without checking who it was.

"Dai-chan!"

He now wishes he looked at the caller i.d.

"What Satsuki?" he answers with a light growl as he twist the knobs; she was not about to stop his shower.

"Hey, that's no way to talk to your best friend!" he can literally see her puffing her already reddened cheeks wherever she is, "You don't know when we'll ever be able to talk again you know! You should be happy I even take time out to talk to you, not like you're ever the one to call! "

"Tomorrow, we're gonna talk tomorrow because you never finish nagging me the day before and I don't call because I don't want to hear it."

"I don't nag you! I take care of you! If it wasn't for me you'd b - "Why are you calling me Satsuki, you're being annoying." Letting out an irritated huff, Momoi ignores Aomine's rude comment, "What are we doing for Kagamin's birthday?" "We?" he says questionably, " _I_  don't have to do anything," he pulls up the plug and water starts running through the shower head. "But Dai-chan," he pulls the phone away from his ear, "you have to!" Placing her on speaker and setting his phone on the counter, Aomine begins to strip, answering, "No the hell I don't."

"Yes you do! Remember what he did for your birthday last year?"

The memory comes flying back to Aomine, the night where he, Kagami and the people he considers friends went out bowling (all of which Kagami paid for), follow by a night of drinking (also which Kagami paid for, for Aomine anyways) that left him not only with the biggest hangover he ever had in his life but also one of the best mornings he's ever woken up to. He remembers the way he found himself in bed, curled up on Kagami's lap, who fell asleep sitting up that night to accommodate his drunken state. He remembers waking to the younger petting his head who said, "Good morning," in a low mocking tone as if he was prepared for the hangover, and then chuckling at whatever words/noises that came from him. He remembers Kagami leaving and then coming back with something to help his head and then making him breakfast, even spoon feeding him when after he dropped his utensil for the forth time, much to his delight and carnage. Kagami stayed with him for that whole day, taking care of him, picking on him, making fun of him, having a good time with him, until his evening class started, just to make sure he was okay (even if they were both being complete assholes to each other about it).

"So," Momoi said, knowingly knocking him out of his thoughts, "what are you doing for his birthday?"

Now naked and grunting, Aomine answered with, "I'll think of something. Bye Satsuki." "Wait Da - her voice gets cut off as he taps the screen to hang up the phone, it rings almost instantly but he ignores this one in lieu of taking a shower and ridden himself of a certain burden that came with the thoughts of the man he loved.

_____

Kagami stares at his phone before hanging up, deciding not to leave a voicemail on Aomine's answering machine because let's face it, when will that idiot even get around to listening to it, never that's when. It's not exactly uncommon for Aomine to miss calls (it's Aomine we're talking about after all), it's just kind of uncommon for it to happen around this time of day. Sighing, Kagami pockets his device and makes his way across campus and towards the gym for basketball practice, sending a quick, "Hey we need to talk, I'll be there after practice," text to the bluenette.

After a jump and a, "Damn it Kuroko how are you still able to do this!?" Kagami falls into step with the fairer bluenette (who has been there since he first initiated a phone call to Aomine) and creates small talk between them, finding out about test scores, seeing what the other has been up to, how Kuroko is doing at his part-time job and things of that nature. It's Kuroko who diverts the conversation, asking what Kagami plans to do for his up-and-coming birthday.

"Not sure," Kagami answers with a shrug, "I haven't put much thought into it....Hitomi's probably gonna do something for it though." Kuroko faces scrunches briefly at the name but it is gone in an instant. Don't get him wrong, it's not that Kuroko doesn't like Kagami's girlfriend, she makes him happy as far as he knows so whatever makes Kagami makes him happy...there's just something  _off_ about her, something the little shadow can't put his finger on.

"We'll probably go out to eat or something, nothing big," the redhead continues, to which Kuroko only nods.

The conversation eventually deviates from his birthday once they hit the gym, from then on it's nothin g but practice.

_____

Aomine takes note of the three missed calls (one from Bakagami, the other two from Satsuki) and is aware of the message icon on his notification bar but ignores those for now because he has to be ready for McDonald's in forty minutes.

He's adorning his black polo shirt with the iconic golden arch on the left and his name tag on the right when there's a harsh knocking on his door. He glares at it, huffing out a rough, "Who's it?" When the response, "it's me Kagami," comes Aomine pauses in the fixing of his belt and quirks eyebrow as he makes his way to the door. Unlocking, opening, and stepping aside so Kagami can enter, Aomine doesn't even make eye contact and goes back to working on his belt, closing the door with his sock-cladded foot he asks, "Whaddya want?" "Huuh," Kagami stretches the word as he drops onto the sofa, "I told you was coming over." Aomine grunts, "Didn't read  it."

"Well that's your fault and sit down I need to talk to you."

"I'm gonna be late if I stay here with you idiot."

Kagami rolls his eyes, "As if you've never been late before, shut up and sit."

"Tch, watch your fucking mouth." Kagami ignores the cruelty in the bluenette's tone because seconds later, despite all his fighting back, Aomine is sitting not too far from him, head thrown back, eyes closed. "What's so important that you want to make me late for work?" He hears the redhead rummaging around in the duffle bag he brought with him before something is being jammed into his ribcage. He curses under his breath and flinches away from the pain before he snatches the item from Kagami's hands and sits up.

A silence settles upon them as Aomine opens the box and produces an engagement ring.

His heart is in his throat and for a moment he thinks his prayers are finally being answered. How many nights has he gone to sleep only to think of the redhead being next to him? How many times has he woken up with a smile on his face only for it to change because no Kagami hasn't kissed him goodbye? How many nights has he been deprived of the warmth he was able to bask in on such few occasions?

The word "yes" is forming in his gut as "I love you" hangs in his throat and "I've wanted this for so long" is wreaking havoc his brain.

Nothing is said as he stares wide-eyed at the box in his hand.

Kagami rubs the back of his neck sheepishly as a weird laugh leaves him and color rises to his cheeks. "Yeah I was thinking that it was time you know seeing as we've known each other for so long and well, ...do you think Hitomi will like it? I was thinking about asking her to marry me tomorrow but as my friend I want your honest opinion and well, don't hold back now."

_____

"No! You can't!"

"Ao-Aomine, wh-what do you - "You can't marry her Kagami!" His fingers wrap around the box, crushing it in his fist, "She doesn't love you, not like how I do!"

"But Aomine, we're just friends..."

"But I don't want to be just your friend!"

Somewhere between his speechlessness and Aomine's screams there's a point where his dark-skinned friend is in front of him, palms pushing into his shoulders, face coming closer, shouts getting louder. And then his stomach drops.

"I love you Taiga!"

"!"

His hands find purchase on Aomine's chest as he tries to push him away because there are soft lips pressed against his own and they do not belong to Hitomi. He starts fighting, kicking, punching, squirming, but Aomine holds him down, pressing closer, harder onto him. Kagami feels breathless, heart racing, tears coming to his eyes because this is wrong, it has to be.

He whimpers and his body moves on its own, fisting Aomine's shirt, legs turning into jelly, his mouth moving against the others, a low moan vibrating in his throat and he's pulling, pulling his basketball rival closer because suddenly there's too much of a distance. Tanned fingers leave his shoulder and caresses his head as cool tears drop onto his cheek. Mouths molding into one another, tongues dancing to a violent rhythm, fingers bruising.

"Mmm, Taiga..."

"Ahh, Daiki..."

Hooded navy eyes bore into his blood red ones, they hold something akin to love, lust, and fear. Uneven pants batter his skin. Mixed tears stain his face.

"Taiga, will you marry me instead?"

 

"....Okay."

_____

"So," Kagami urges, his voice bringing Aomine back from the depths of his own mind, "what do you think, am I rushing it, are we too young, should I wait or do you think it's alright?"

_Don't marry her!_

Aomine clears his throat as he gingerly closes the box. Kagami will listen to him if he tells him not to, Kagami will wait to propose if Aomine told him to because Aomine knows Kagami trusts him and listens to his inputs.

_All I have to do is say wait and then he'll realize that I'm the one..._

He turns to him, the answer, "I think it'd be best if you waited another year or two," ready to spring forth but halts. There's this innocent glow on Kagami, a glow he has only seen once before and that's whenever he's talking about his girlfriend. He must really love her.

_It'll never be me will it...?_

"I think...," he takes a deep breath and looks down to the box in his hand, holding back his tears by will and pride alone, "I think tomorrow is a perfect time to ask her. Go for it man."

Kagami grins and pulls Aomine into a hug.

Aomine smiles too.

The agony placed on his twisted mouth, the pain etched into his face, the utter despair in his soul, his mind in disarray, his heart slowly dismantling with every passing microsecond, the stabbing ache that comes with every brush of Kagami's skin against his own. He's so happy Kagami can't see his face right now.

_Whatever makes him happy._


	2. I Wldn't Wsh fr Ths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the proposal...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back to chapter 2!
> 
> Sorry for taking so long you guys, it's not that I didn't want to write this because trust me I do, it's just that my life has gotten **SUPER** crazy, most because simplyshiori is getting married AND she's pregnant! Yeah crazy right, all of this has definitely made me side-tracked but things have calmed a bit and yeah ^_^
> 
> Now I'm not gonna hold you guys up anymore with my personal babbling so go on and read chapter two! Thank you for reading and still being here (after nearly a month, sorry T_T)!

Ever had a moment in life where you're awake and you know you're awake and yet you're having some sort of out of body experience? You're yourself, you're pretty sure you don't suffer from some kind of multiple personality disorder, but you still can't recognize the person in front of you or worst yet, the one besides you? You're curious as to what your mind is even doing, your body too, because whatever you're doing is not YOUR doing but it's still you?

_Who am I?_

The acidic taste that filled his throat the moment he told Kagami to go on with the proposal is still there. It stays for the little remainder of time where Kagami is at his home, the redhead's presence only causing the disgusting flavor to grow in intensity; Aomine has to ignore the urge that makes him want to claw at his own flesh, ripping himself apart to relieve the hellish pain. 

And you would think that once Kagami left, the taste would settle down instead of spreading throughout his body the moment he watched Kagami walk away, heading towards the stairway, the words "I'll tell you how it went" buzzing sickeningly around in his head as a smile lingered on the double-brow face.

 _What has he done?_

"Yeah, every detail," he manages to say before Kagami is completely gone and the words sound forced even to himself, it's a miracle they even made it pass his lips considering he's wondering if he even has a throat anymore, but he doubts Kagami - that lovesick idiot - even noticed.

The analog clock on his wall is much louder than he remembers. The hum of his air conditioner is pressed against his ear. The white noise of his apartment surrounds him, his mind unable to focus or process all that just happened. The air is thinner. His body's hotter. Deep breaths now. Deep breaths.

Think. Think. Think.

Okay one, so Kagami wants to propose and marry his girlfriend Hitomi.

Alright two, Kagami had asked if he thought he should go through with it.

And three, he....said....yes....that's where Aomine mentally vomits. He said what? What possessed him to even agree to such a thing, has Kagami's happiness become so important that he's willing to put himself through years of agony? And it won't end there, no, this will carry on until he dies because fuck it, he fucked up, he fucked up so hard.

The beeping alarm of his cell brings him back.

And somehow he went from standing in the doorway to laying in the middle of the living room floor, curled himself into the fetal position as he cradled his head, tears free falling, one word pressing against his lips.

"Tai...ga."

_____ 

Dreams are funny things, don't you think? One second you're submerged into situations that feel so life-like, sounds grinding against your ears, smells drifting into your nose, the heated feel of skin to skin contact, everything is so real moment and then, in the next you're suddenly awake, head swimming more than you'd like because you're a little more disoriented than you remember, the distinction between what is real and what is not is a little more than blurred.

 _Can you believe your dreams?_

Kagami wakes to the sensation of his skin cooking under the summer's sun; the curtains he must've left open the night before being the culprit.

Rolling out of the heated area, Kagami opens his eyes. Things haven't changed. Hitomi isn't home, he checks the clock, and yeah it's past one, Hitomi's definitely at work. He sits up in the large bed with a deep stretch and a yawn that turns into a low grunt as he rotates his shoulder, it stings a bit. No matter though, sooner than later a smile comes to his face as he looks over to his bag where he knows the engagement ring sits. He's less nervous than he figured he be but that's probably because he had pictured the proposal in his head over and over again. He would go to her at work, see her in her little cubicle and bring her flowers, she'd smile and thank him and give him a kiss. The ladies will go "awww", which is when he'll go on his spew of love and wanting to be with her forever, get on one knee and propose. Hitomi will be shocked and she'll turn eleven different shades of red and she'll cry and won't say yes but nod vigorously instead and then he'll put the ring on her finger, swipe her off her feet and carry her to the car. Yeah, just like a romance movie.

The ride to Hitomi's job, an advertisement agency, was no more than twenty minutes, even with his brief stop to this little flower shop to buy her a cute little bouquet of Anemone flowers -  her favorite - and the meager traffic he was driving in. He checks himself in the review mirror when he parks in the agency's lot, doing his best to smooth out his hair, checking his teeth, and making sure his face is clean because the last thing he needs is to have toothpaste on his cheek. He looks down in his lap, covered by actual slacks and not jeans or cargos or basketball shorts, as he furls and unfurls his hands; the nervous feeling is starting to fill his stomach and he's sure adrenaline is running through his veins but he takes a nice, deep breath to calm his frantic mind and grabs the bouquet, steadying his nerves he makes his way out the car.

"Oh Kagami-san, hi," the young receptionist, Miko, greets him with a welcoming smile. Kagami returns the look and his own greeting. "Hmmm, judging from those flowers and the look on your face you must be here to see Maeda-san, yeah?" A redness comes to his cheeks, "Yeah, got something big to ask her so is it alright if I go in?" Miko tilts her head to the side in confusion, "But Maeda-san is on lunch break," her head tilts to the other side, "didn't she tell you?" Kagami blinks once, twice, before raising one of his double brows. Hitomi's at lunch already, he checks the clock, 1:54pm, why is she at lunch so earlier, she usually didn't leave for lunch until three and even if she left early, why didn't she call, Hitomi always calls him on her lunch break.

"--mi-san..."

Now that he thinks about it, he has been pretty busy with practice lately, pre-season is here after all, and he hasn't been able to pick up her calls, but that never stopped her from calling before. Maybe she's mad?

"--gami-san..."

When was the last time he was able to talk to Hitomi on her lunch break anyways, even when he calls her, she hasn't really picked up and when she does they can only talk for brief moments. How busy has she been at work?

"Kagami-san!"

"Huh? Oh I'm sorry," Kagami says as he focuses back on the receptionist, "what did you say, I wasn't listening." Miko shakes her head, "Oh Kagami-san you're so tactless," she says with a giggle that grows when she sees the tips of his ears turning red from embarrassment; she found him adorable.

"I was saying that you probably find Maeda-san at this place called Dean's Diner, she seems to fancy that place. Go straight up the rode and at the third light make a left, it'll be on your right hand side." Kagami smiled, "Thanks Miko." On his way out the door he hears the low, "Good luck Kagami-san, I hope she say yes."

Kagami is sitting at the second light, it's red, when he contemplates on how he would propose in a restaurant but when it turns greens he shrugs his shoulder and mentally says fuck it, he'll just wing it. 

He's still smiling.

Listening to Miko's directions (and willing his reddened face to calm down from her support) Kagami finds himself parking not too far from the diner's entrance. He sits in the car, staring at the ring as if it'd disappear if he takes his eyes off of it for more than a second. He's definitely nervous here than he would be at the agency, he knows everyone there, mostly by name too. He's been to enough company functions to get on good enough terms with everyone but here, at this restaurant he's never been to, he knows no one but Hitomi and that's  _if_ she's even still in there.

"Suck it up, you'll be fine, it's Hitomi," he mumbles to himself as he pockets the ring and steps out of the car, choosing to leave the flowers in the passenger seat, she'll see them later - he doesn't want to draw so much attention to himself as soon as he walks in anyways, it could potentially spoil the surprise.

He's still smiling.

His footsteps feel heavy and his breathing sporadic, his heart is squeezing and his head hazy but he manages to make it through the front door without tripping over himself. Wine eyes survey the diner, searching for the familiar chocolate tresses that smell of roses - the ones he's used to having in his face late in the evening - or the bright apricot eyes that look like burning embers in the sunlight, the nose he's poked at least a hundred times or the plush lips that have pressed against his cheeks even when he's sweating and reeks of male-dominated body odor.

He doesn't see any of that.

But he does hear the laughter that has imprinted itself into his mind and has become one of the most beautiful sounds ever created to him.

His smile widens when he turns to follow the sound and soon enough he sees those familiar locks.

She's laughing with some guy, Kagami recognizes him from the agency but his mind comes up blank when he tries to remember their name.

He's not smiling.

He's not breathing.

He's not moving.

 _Kagami's not, he isn't...who is he?_

This guy, whoever this  _guy_  is, has his fingers laced with hers, their hands are resting on her thigh as they speak and she's laughing  _again_. Kagami knows what her face looks like, he doesn't have to be in front of her. Kagami knows, he knows, he  **knows**.

The guy leans forward.

Hitomi leans forward.

Faces coming closer and closer.

More than a meter.  _Less than a meter._

More than a foot. _Less than a foot._

Inches. _Centimeters._

Kagami shuts his eyes and turns, leaving the diner before the hostess can even asking if he'd like a booth.

Vision barreling out of focus.

Steps wavering haphazardly, broken.

Body tossed into cloth upholstery, bone less.

Slammed doors.

And white knuckles.

Dead mind.

And burning tears.

Shattered screams.

And haunted memories. 

He feels them, they dig deep, piercing him with an effortless ease, a hot knife through soft butter. He feels them, they dig deep, the blood runs, coating the mahogany nails he painted for her just last week. He feels them, pulling. He feels them, ripping. He feels them, shredding.

A fist is pounding the car dash.

A hand is warped awkwardly around the steering wheel.

People stare as the walk by but they leave him be, they can feel his pain radiating through the automobile.

He feels empty when the rage leaves him, his head eventually comes to rest on the other side of the wheel, away from the horn. The tears sting his eyes now and his face is burning from the trail they left in their wake. He has to breath out of his mouth because his nose is undoubtedly clogged, he feels no disgust when he uses his sleeve to wipe away the mucus that escaped.

It takes him a few more moments before he's able to sigh and wipe his face, he can't stay there anymore, for all he knows the two will be coming out any minute and he doesn't trust himself enough to see more. He shifts position, sitting up and reaching across himself to grab the seat belt. Something jabs in the thigh as he moves, it would be easily ignored if he wasn't in such a dismal state. He reaches into his pocket for the offending object realizing a second too late that it's the ring box sitting in his hands once again. Anger flares in his soul again and he wants to destroy the little fucking thing that he blames all of this one, but he can't even roll down the window or open the door to toss the damn thing out. Instead he laughs, it sounds cruel, and snatches the glove compartment open before launching the little shit in there. There's a definite cracking wooden sound, followed by the small ringing ding of shattered glass.

He honestly doesn't care.

_____

His mind is pretty much a blur at that point. The sun has long since set. The flowers gone, absentmindedly given to some high school girl that was trying to sale him something at a red light around sunset, probably. His phone has gone off at least fourteen times, a mix of calls and texts most likely, before he shuts it off. He knows some have to be from Kuroko and his coach, there was a mandatory practice session today and he didn't show up, he didn't even call in; he knows his coach is mad, practically livid, and he knows Kuroko is worried, extremely so, but Kagami can't seem to focus on their feelings enough to answer because what if doesn't say "The SlaveDriver" is calling, what if it doesn't say "Kuroko" is calling - popping up the bedhead contact pic -, what if it says "Babe" is calling instead, what if the screen shows that smiling face he's been dedicated to for so long now, calling him to ask, in that soft concerned tone he knows she'll make, "Where are you Taiga? It's late, I'm worried, are you okay?" These are not chances he's willing to take.

It's only after he almost hits a pedestrian, runs two red lights, and is stopped by a patrol car for nearly rear-ending it (a ticket he somehow is able to talk himself out of), does Kagami deem himself too dangerous, too scattered brain, too fucked up, to keep driving. He pulls over and parks into the closest complex he sees and sits in his car for at least twenty minutes before he decides to figure out where the hell he's done drove to, almost instantly recognizing the building when he allow his mind to focus on it.

The trek up the nine floors is something he hardly remembers doing but there is slow settlement of relief in the redhead when he's standing in front of door marked 914, with a name card of "Resident: Aomine Daiki" off to the right side.

The relief slowly turns into anxiety when he knocks on the door and there is no response.

It worsens when he keeps knocking five minutes later.

After ten minutes of no responses and a pissed-off shout of "knock that shit off I'm trying to sleep asshole!" from not too far down the hall does he give up. He wipes his eyes with his clean sleeve, he could feel the tears coming back.

He really wished Aomine was home.

On his way down the stairs does his stomach make itself known after being quiet all day, he hasn't eaten since he woke. With his first step out the lobby does he realize the temperature has dropped and he's not dressed well enough to survive such a change. After standing by the complex entrance for at least thirty seconds does he remember he has he has his campus hoodie in his car. Only after he dons the collegiate apparel does he feet move in search to satisfy his hunger - he still deems himself to unwell to drive.

Aimless walking, searching.

Dark signs everywhere, closed.

It doesn't seem like anything's open.

And then a red and yellow miracle.

 **Dine-in and drive-thru open 24-hours!**  

_____

"Ao-Aomine, are you su-sure you're able to work today?"  


Dark eyes cast a darker glare in the direction of his usual upbeat manager. "I said I'm fine didn't I," he growls as he presses his spatula down onto the burger. "I-I-I know you said you're fine but - "But what," Aomine cuts as he's making yet another burger, his body set on autopilot, "I said I'm fine so I'm fine, there are no buts," he pushes the now wrapped burger forward and begins his work on the next order after taking a brief look at the computer screen.

From behind him his carrot top of a manager is mimicking a fish out of water, mouth opening and closing, trying to come up with something to say because it's obvious to him, and every other staff member, that Aomine is far from okay, he hasn't been okay since yesterday. His scowl is deeper than usual, his handle on the equipment is rougher and he has been caught, on more than one occasion, cursing at the food since his shift started (thankfully he hasn't taken out his anger on the food or customers) but something is wrong with him, very wrong.

"You know, I, we, like the staff and stuff, we've been with you for like some time now, and we worry, we care."

A smirk graces his tan skin, one that bare his fangs, as he brings himself to look at his wide-eyed, nearly fearful, manager.

"Ao-mine?"

He laughs then, head thrown back and all, he'd be running a hand through his hair if his palm wasn't covered by grease-covered gloves and his hair by a net.

When it dies down to a low chuckle, Aomine shakes his head and goes back to cooking the burgers, "Go do your job kid. Come to me when I fuck up alright."

They ask him to stay until closing, which doesn't surprise him considering the third cook is late at least twice a week and if not late then he just doesn't come in at all (Aomine didn't understand why he hasn't been fired but that was up until he learned that dude had a sexual relationship going on with the owner) and the second cook is a mere high school student so they definitely had limitations on how long they could work. It's okay though because towards the night, long after the sky has darkened, the number of customers goes from a flow to small trickle and on top of that, extra hours mean extra pay, even if that meant less sleep for his next job.

The little bell he has gotten used to blocking out chimes and not too long later he hears the remaining cashier asking, sleepily but cheerful all the same, what the person wants. Aomine doesn't really listen while he leans against the tiled wall, he's just waiting for the order to pop on screen so he can get it out the way, just like all the others, and when the computerized beep goes, he peaks one dark eye open.

Less than a millisecond later though, both eyes are blown wide as he re-reads the order.

20 McDoubles  
13 McChickens (3 spicy)  
2 Large fries  
1 Large Soft Drink

"You want a diet coke to go with that you greedy asshole?" he mutters to himself as he reaches for the frozen patties but he stops mid-way. Instead of cooking he turns, feet moving faster than his mind, heart beating harder than he'd like, but in the end he still comes through the back, through the door labelled "employees only" and out into the dining area. He doesn't take him long to see the large, hunched over figure. The fire red and ice black two-tone hair hidden underneath a green hoodie, his face hidden underneath his arms as he lays his head down on the table.

A light sneer plays on his lips as he makes his way around the counter and towards the oblivious redhead, his work shoes lightly squeaking on the ground, causing Kagami to raise his head.

Aomine stops, takes note of the forlorn look on his face, the swollen skin around his eyes, that broken smile. Kagami sits up, "So that's why you weren't home, got you doing over time, yeah?" He sounds sick almost. Mouth unable to process a real response, Aomine nods dumbly before he lightly shakes his head and glares, "Why didn't you just use the spare key I gave you?" Kagami lets out a little laugh, it sounds dead, and shakes his head, looking down at his lap, his voice is a whisper, "I gave that back to you months ago."

"Oh yeah." Kagami did give him the key back a few months ago, when he had gotten his own place with Hitomi.

"Aomine, more orders are coming!"

With a shrug, Aomine digs into his pocket and drops his keys in front of the redhead, startling him. "I'm gonna go back and do your order you glutton, when you're done just go to my place, leave the door unlocked, we'll talk then." Kagami looks up to him, "Who said we needed to talk?" Aomine smirks, "You did."

_____

Aomine goes into a routine when he reaches his apartment, he closes the door with one hand and locks it simultaneously. He toes his shoes off and kicks them towards the rack by the wall, he bag soon follows. He'd usually head straight for the shower to get the smell of grease and beef off him but instead he heads towards the living because Kagami is awake, in his house, and on the sectional; his head is bowed and his hands knitted together in front of him, sitting as if he hasn't move since he got there. But Aomine's pretty sure he didn't see Kagami leaving the McDonald's until the near end of his pick-up shift so he figures the idiot hasn't been there waiting for him for long.

He plants himself next to Kagami, flopping down by his side with a huff, throwing his head back onto the cushion, resting his long limbs on the coffee table in front of them. The bluenette lets the silence over take them, he waits with surprising patience because if there's one thing Aomine has learned about Kagami over the years of their hatred turned rivalry turned awkward connection through basketball turned dude-why-am-I-even-still-friends-with-you-you're-such-an-ass-is-a-compliment kind of friendship is that pressing the double-brow in the manner he knows how to get people to open their mouth - through aggression and yelling, snide remarks and disinterest - is the number one way to get Kagami to  **never** tell him anything. So he waits. 

A loud sigh leaves Kagami and he feels him throw his head back too. He peeks open his eyes and takes a glance at Kagami, he's wearing one of those forlorn kind of smiles, Aomine inwardly sighs. 

"So I went to her job to propose today. I'm pretty sure you guessed it already but, it uh, it didn't go so well."

"Did she say no?"

Kagami's chuckles darkly, "Yeah I wish." And Aomine says, oh shit in his mind because who the hell is he sitting next to right now. "No she wasn't there but Miko had told me she was at some diner so I, I go there to this diner and I see her and she's, she's with this guy," he's trying to hold it together, "and they're eating or whatever," his voice is cracking, "and she looks happy with him and they, they um," he fails at clearing his throat, "they kiss, right in the diner, they kiss, right there. She's cheating on me...she's cheating on me Aomine!" He leans forward, bringing his head into his hands and breaths deeply, trying to calm himself.

Kagami is oblivious to the bluenette that's barely able to keep his feelings in check because he's ready to cut a motherfucker named Maede Hitomi. Midnight eyes dancing in fire as they land on his slumped over from. Mouth-splitting sneers ready to jump from his lips, along with words filled with malice. Mind racing with thoughts on how to destroy her shitty little soul because  _who the fuck does this bitch thinks she is!?_

Most of his anger dies out when he hears the badly hidden sniffle, Kagami is trying to hide his tears.

Aomine reaches over and brings Kagami towards him. He flinches at the initial contact but doesn't resist as he pulled into the one-armed embrace that only tightens when his head finds purchase near a chest that has the smell of his fast-food dinner. The first tear slips out before he even realizes it, next thing he knows, all he can do his grab the shirt near his head, the shirt over his heart, and cry, asking himself, asking his friend, asking the world.

_Why?_

When Kagami's mutterings dwindle down into nothing but light snores, when his grip slacks and his hand lay against Aomine's thigh, when he's breathing evens out with light stutters, Aomine knows Kagami has cried himself to sleep. A harsh comes from his throat, a mix of a deep sigh and a deeper snarl; Kagami jumps in his sleep from the sound that rumbled through Aomine's body but in the end he doesn't wake.

Aomine's mind isn't much calmer than before. He wished he never told Kagami to go for it, propose to the wench if his heart was going to be broken in the end. Wished he told Kagami to wait. In a whirlwind of thoughts and what ifs and wishes Aomine wanted so many things, so many futile things because soon enough he realized it was a lose-lose situation. Kagami went to proposed, only to find her with another man. If Kagami waited, he'd stay in the dark, in a relationship with a woman who was sleeping around behind his back. Kagami is hurt now that he knows. Kagami would be hurting still if he actually waited to propose and they  _did_ get married, he would be the husband to a lying, cheating whore. The pain of the truth, the pain of a lie.

Aomine sighs, he's not good with this deep thinking business, he never was, so now all he can do is try to help his friend Kagami from this point on. Opening his eyes, not realizing they were even closed, Aomine glances at the clock as the soft ticking sound falls back into his sense, along with the hum of the A/C; white noise, something to immerse himself in.

It's late, really late, and his face scrunches with the knowledge that he has to be to his construction job in less than two hours, with the knowledge that the train ride to said job is an hour, and the train for said job will be arriving at the station in forty-one minutes (the last one that would allow to get to work on time that is). He tighten his hold on Kagami on last time -  _I can't stay_ - before maneuvering his body that is, hopefully, going to keep the basketball ace sleeping. He manages to have the other laying on the made for people over 180cm sectional without too much of a hassle - mentally he thanks Satsuki for  ~~forcing~~  taking him shopping with her for his furniture all those years ago. He walks over to his linen closest - stocked only because of Satsuki once again - and grabs a spare blanket.

He stares Kagami as he shifts under the weight of the blanket, heart clenching in his chest when the settle on his face, the puffiness around his eyes, the light shade of red still in his cheeks. He takes a step forward, kneels beside him, and places his palm in the dual-colored follicles.

"I'm sorry."

Aomine's not sure why he apologizes, just had the feeling that he needed to.

_____

Kagami wakes to silence and feeling like shit. Instinctively, the first he goes for the kitchen for water, stumbling in recognizable home. There's a bright yellow post it note on the fridge's door.

 

_See you after work, keep the key with you_

 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why am I so terrible to my babies!? Don't worry you guys I love them, I really do, I know it doesn't seem like it at this point but I do. And I'm gonna go ahead and head back to the trash can I belong in.
> 
> So once again lemme know what you think of the story so far and how you feel.
> 
> (Plus lemme know the level of hate you have for Hitomi lol)

**Author's Note:**

> Aomine loves Kagami but Kagami is going to do what, with who, and more importantly why!? (Why do I take so much enjoyment in hurting my little Aomine baby? I am a terrible person, don't worry you guys I'll just see myself to the trash can).
> 
> But yeah tell me what you guys think, do you like it, hate it, want more, want less, want to punch Hitomi in the face and slap so sense into Kagami (and Aomine)? Comment below and let me know~
> 
> See you guys next chapter! Ja ne!


End file.
